The 29th Negros Trade Fair at Glorietta

One of the reasons why our family loves to mall around Glorietta is because of its regular exhibits. We love to look at artworks and food that are distinct to a specific country or a province.

But then, the event at the Glorietta’s Activity Center last September 24-28,2014 was especially remarkable for us because the mall featured the 29th Negros Trade Fair.

This is the longest-running fair, we’ve been told, plus all that it has showcased throughout the exhibit were all close to our hearts, being Ilonggos ourselves.

All of a sudden, the things we’d be craving for when we’d go to Negros Occidental to visit our relatives and friends all converged and were ready for sampling by everyone who visited the mall. This year, Negros harped on its being ready to open up itself to the world, via its theme: “Smiles Beyond Borders.” Roughly 80 establishments took part in the exhibit.

We felt the street party spirit when it featured “Inasalan sa Dalan,” wherein chicken inasal with matching sinamak (coconut vinegar) , chicken adobo flakes and other Negros specialties were made available for either dine-in or take-out. Sweet specialties from famous bakeshops/outlets such as El Ideal, Margie’s, Virgie’s and Bong Bong’s were also present to sample delicacies like piaya, hopia, napoleons, kalamayhati (sweet sticky rice in coconut cream), galletas, barquillos and many more.

Negros Paintings and Arts

Negros handicrafts

Negros Local Products

Paintings, handicrafts, knitwear, housewear, silk and ladies’ accessories were also abundant for tourists, Ilonggos and non-Ilonngos to appreciate and buy.

At the forefront of the exhibit is, as expected, the ‘story’ in photographs and mementos of how sugar cane was being produced. Sugar, as we know, is the main agricultural product of the province.

“Sakada” miniatures

Different Types of Sugar Produced in Negros

Old Calculator

Mr. Raymond Alunan from the Negros Occidental Tourism Office gave us a quick tour of the area, much to the delight of our son who was amazed to realize that producing a sugar product is not as simple as it seems, and that, there are many kinds of sugar, beyond brown and white.

Finally, we got to see from the Tourism Office brochures of some beach resorts and hotels that opened fairly recently in Negros, both within the northern and southern parts of Negro, such as:

Buenos Aires in Bago City

Campuestuhan Highland Resort in Talisay

Danjugan Island in Cauayan

Hometown Pension in Binalbagan

Guintubdan Pavilion in La Carlota City

Lakawon Island Beach Resort in Cadiz City

Zaycoland in Kabankalan City

Of course, the urge to visit the familiar sites remains to be there, such as the Campomanes Bay in Sipalay, Carbin Reef Marine Reserve and Mangrove Eco park in Suyak Island in Sagay City, The Ruins in Silay, Mambukal Resort in Murcia, Manukan Country, Cansi House and Pala Pala in Bacolod.

About the author /

Denice Christine Garcia-Pilla is a freelance published writer and editor in between her profession as a market research professional. Her works have appeared in numerous print and online publications in Asia and the United States including the Asia Pacific Business Guide, Launch Asia, Quantum Spirit, Men Zone, The Philippine Star and Lifestyle Asia.
She has profiled a number of CEOs, Presidents, entrepreneurs and tycoons of top corporations in the Philippines, as well as renowned international authors such as Mark Victor Hansen of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and Philip Kotler.
After a decade of hiatus from the writing scene with motherhood taking center stage of her schedule, Denice is once again picking up from where she left off via the Side Tripper, where she shares her travel adventures and side trips through the lens of photographer Kit Elton Pilla, also known as her husband and father to her son Kyle David.

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“Make sure you don’t take any side trips,” warns Schumler, from a phrase in the 1993 American film Swing Kids. If you are someone who does not have time to lose, then it is better for you to stick to your main agenda, because there is something about side tripping that submerges the soul in experiences that sometimes make you hope that time would stand still, as the experiences they bring can be more impactful than the main trip itself. It is that free flowing agenda, an unexpected sleepover or a detour that has unintentionally brought pleasant surprises. You can live without it, like you can eat a cake without its icing, but your journey may not be as meaningful. If travel is the ‘best medicine for the heart’,* then for me, side trips are secret ingredients to the most memorable travels and other events that can happen in between or off the main route of one’s itineraries. Welcome to Side Tripper, a collection of photographs and blogs about the many side trip adventures of our family and friends. *Source: The Global Commission on Aging and Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, in partnership with the U.S. Travel Association (Los Angeles Times, December 17, 2013 by Chris Erskine)